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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · lean · pass · present · chair · snap · stock · mate

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mate — a friend
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stock — goods
  9. fall — the season
  10. present — there
  11. snap — to click
  12. present — a gift
  13. pass — a permit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mate — to breed
  20. lean — thin
  21. stock — shares
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com